DANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Department of Theatre Arts hosted the Region One Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in late January for the third year in a row. The department once again came out strong by giving a public performance of the nominated fall theatre production, “Evita,” in the MainStage Theatre of the Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Last year, “The Drowsy Chaperone” won the department 11 awards and an invitation for director Tim Howard and student Jillian Caillouette, of Meriden, to attend the national KCACTF festival in Washington, D.C., to accept the awards. This year’s production of “Evita” won 10 awards, showing that once again the theatre arts department has an outstanding ability to gain national recognition.
Howard was overjoyed that his rendition of “Evita” again caught the attention and accolades of the Kennedy Center. “I’m so honored our production of “Evita” has been nationally recognized,” he said. “It is one of my favorite musicals and I loved working with this amazing artistic team and talented students. We made some bold choices in the storytelling and I was very proud of the production. The Kennedy Center’s acknowledgement of our work for three years in a row has filled our department with an excitement. We are grateful and will continue to strive for excellence.”
WestConn’s awards this year include:
Distinguished Production of a Musical – “Evita”
Distinguished Director of a Musical – Tim Howard
Distinguished Choreography – Mary Ann Lamb and Tim Howard
Distinguished Performance by an Actress in a Musical – Shaylen Harger
Distinguished Performance by an Actress in a Musical – Olivia Kurtz
Distinguished Performance by an Actress in a Musical – Alexandra Colavecchio
Distinguished Performance by an Actress in a Musical – Kristen Muller
Distinguished Performance by an Actress in a Musical – Jessica Schwartz
Distinguished Performance by an Actor in a Musical – Johnathan Jordan-Agustin Magaldi
Distinguished Performance by an Actor in a Musical – Mark Summer
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.